Dear Brother
by Rizu
Summary: A story about Trinity and her brother.
1. Combat Training

Combat Training  
  
Chapter One - Games  
  
Ghost gracefully kicked his feet over his head, feeling the wind blow through his hair. He reveled in these moments, when seconds became hours, when he could count the tiles on the ceiling.  
  
Whoosh.  
  
Or the bullets she was firing at him. She really wasn't trying to hit him - maybe she found the acrobatics as entertaining to watch as he found them to perform. Smiling, Ghost cocked his head, missing another bullet as his arms moved in a serpentine fashion to avoid the rest of the clip. His feet gently touched the ground, and he paused, before feeling the weight and speed of the world pull him down, the ground shaking as he hit landed. He looked up, one knee on the floor, to see her coming. She walked, and began to run. Ghost watched as she reached forward, one hand supporting a cartwheel as the other reached for her handgun at her hip. Pulling out of the cartwheel, she pointed the gun at him as she dove.  
  
Ghost watched, and waited. She smirked as she was feet from him, began firing. Disappointed that he wouldn't be able to see the look on her face, Ghost sidestepped, and turned to watch her.  
  
Trinity hadn't seen that coming. She turned to look up at Ghost, watching her fall off the side of the building. She waited, irritated for falling for such a cheap trick. Trinity hit the ground, minutes latter, as it bend like soft taffy, sending her a few feet back up, landing her on her back. She observed the sky, watched the clouds drift by. Her introspection was interrupted by a voice and a hand passing into her field of vision.  
  
"Good game."  
  
Trinity reached up, and took the hand Ghost offered her.  
  
"So what's the score now?"  
  
Ghost smiled. "I think that puts me two ahead, dear sister."  
  
"That's because, dear brother, you've chosen the last three arenas."  
  
"And so what would you suggest then?"  
  
Trinity took out her phone. "Sparks."  
  
"Sparks here - Why'd you let him win again?"  
  
"It's the only way to keep him playing."  
  
Sparks snickered. "You want me to boot the cornfields?"  
  
Trinity looked up at Ghost, snickered, and answered. "Yes."  
  
The world disappeared, leaving them in the white barrenness of the construct. Trinity and Ghost stood amoung racks and racks of weapons, bullet-proof armor, and clothing.  
  
"New rules."  
  
Ghost looked up. "What are those?"  
  
"Hand to hand only, no armor."  
  
Ghost took off his sunglasses, and eyed her skeptically.  
  
"I'll still kick your ass Trin."  
  
"Try it."  
  
The sky whipped around Ghost, as the pair fell, kept falling. The world stopped, and the two stood deep within a corn field. The stalks grew tall, heavy with a late harvest. It was oppressively hot, dry, and the wind carried the sound of cicadas madly chirping. Ghost looked up, feeling his clothing beginning to stick to him, to a surprising image.  
  
Trinity stood comfortably in a white tank top and frayed blue jean shorts. She kicked the dirt with her cleats. The only thing that remained the same were her sunglasses. She looked and Ghost and a faint smile passed her face.  
  
"Hot?"  
  
Ghost looked at her. "Does it matter?"  
  
"Only if you let it."  
  
"You spend too much time with Morpheus." Ghost muttered irritably.  
  
"Come on Ghost," Trinity laughed, "Catch me."  
  
Ghost rolled his head, stretching his neck. "Alright, you asked for it."  
  
Trinity didn't give him time to get ready. She bolted past him, feeling the earth under her cleats and the wind in her hair. She looked over her shoulder to see him coming after her, and she slowly let him gain ground. Wait Trinity, wait. He was almost on her. Now! She sprung through the corn, doing at 180 degree turn, and kept running. She looked again, and saw that she had lost him.  
  
Ghost pushed his way through the corn, and all that he could see of Trinity was a trail of kicked up dust. He took off, feeling the thrill of the hunt. He saw her cut though again, and he followed, as she zigzagged through the corn. Running hard, Trinity grabbed a ripe ear of corn and threw it at Ghost's feet.  
  
Whunk. The corn nearly knocked him off balance, but Ghost managed to keep going. His sunglasses were covered in brown dirt, and he threw them off, along with his overcoat and jacket. She was cutting again, and Ghost took the opportunity to arm himself with an ear of corn. They were out of the corn fields now, and in a meadow, which spread out down to a small creek. She ran for the creek.  
  
Trinity sprinted the last few yards, and jumped up to grab the arms of the willow over the creek. Her hands were almost there. only a few more inches. She missed. Trinity once again began to fall, briefly seeing the ear of corn which had hit her hand and prevented her from grabbing the branch. Ghost kept running towards the creek, watching with some satisfaction as her body flew slowly end over end. It was because of his preoccupation that he didn't see the root sticking up out of the ground in front of him. His foot caught, and Ghost now felt the disconcertment of flying through the air, watching the water come up to strike him in the face.  
  
Ghost's humiliation kept the water from feeling as good as it might have. Kicking hard, he broke the surface. He critically examined his surroundings. Trinity was no where to be found. Ghost listened. He heard the sound of an object dropping, and looked up just in time to see Trinity falling, her feet pushing him underwater. Ghost opened his eyes to see her below him, her hands on his legs, dragging him down. He kicked, but she held on. He couldn't hold on much longer. He had to breathe. The water got darker, his heart beat slower. He couldn't struggle anymore.  
  
When Trinity felt Ghost's legs go limp she realized that she'd crossed the line. She grabbed his hands, floating limply, and dragged him to the surface. She sucked in the air, and began to yell.  
  
"Operator!"  
  
She pulled him to the dirt embankment, felt his neck. No pulse. Suddenly, Trinity felt very sick, the world spun. She looked up to the sun, felt it burn her eyes, the light getting brighter and brighter..  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "That wasn't funny." Niobe angrily said.  
  
"He's fine." Trinity retorted, not looking at her.  
  
Sparks snickered. "You going to tell him who gave him CPR?"  
  
Niobe shook her head. Trinity looked at sparks. "It was you, if memory serves."  
  
"Whatever coppertop. I know what the code said."  
  
"Not another word, from either of you." Niobe snapped.  
  
The monitor's steady chirping sped up. Niobe and Trinity both looked down as Ghost opened his eyes.  
  
"I guess," Ghost said, smiling weakly, "You win again."  
  
"We'll call it a draw."  
  
"You have to get back to the Neb."  
  
"I know." Trinity looked away. "I'm sorry."  
  
Ghost reached up, touched her arm. "I know. It's OK."  
  
Trinity looked down. "Can you get up?"  
  
Ghost swung his legs over the side of the table, stretched and stood.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
Niobe cut in. "Good, then go take the controls. We're now late," She shot an angry glare at Trinity "To meet the Neb."  
  
He obliged, and walked to the main deck. As he walked by Trinity, he pushed her playfully.  
  
"Next time, I won't let you cheat."  
  
Trinity began to follow him, but was held back by Niobe.  
  
"What's going on with you?" She questioned.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"I've never seen or heard of anyone from Morpheus' crew behaving so." She looked for the word, "Recklessly."  
  
Trinity looked Niobe in the eyes. "It was a game. Sometimes people get hurt."  
  
"Then follow your own advice and be more careful."  
  
Irritated to hide her humiliation at doing something she knew to be irresponsible, Trinity returned to the Neb. She hated the gossip line, how quickly the events aboard the Logos had spread. Tank and Dozer watched her enter, and when she met their gaze, the brother's eyes fell away. Walking down the hallway to her quarters, Trinity heard a noise behind her. She spun to see no one but hear Mouse's door softly squeaking. Turning the corner, she finally let her head drop, exhausted at the effort of being so indigent to their stares. She opened her door, slid behind it and leaned, letting her body weight slam it shut. Opening her eyes, Trinity was greeted to see Switch sitting on her bed. She sighed, and sat down next to her.  
  
"What happened?" Switch asked, looking intently at Trinity.  
  
"You already know that." She replied back tersely.  
  
"I know I heard rumors." Switch replied simply.  
  
"I got." Trinity stared at the floor, "I just played too rough."  
  
"You've never done that to anyone else."  
  
"He's."  
  
"Different, I know."  
  
Switch stood up, stretching.  
  
"He's the closest thing I have to a brother."  
  
Switch paused mid-stretch, thinking. "And so you play like siblings."  
  
"Yeah, but I didn't mean to."  
  
"He knows."  
  
"It's strange though," Trinity mused. "He's distant now, from me."  
  
Switch's eyes flicked down sorrowfully. "He's seen the oracle hasn't he?"  
  
"We both have."  
  
"You know, Morpheus says we're getting ready for a new mission."  
  
Trinity's ears perked at those words. "To do what?" She asked.  
  
"To bring back the man who is The One." 


	2. Play With Ice

Chapter Two - Play With Ice  
  
Neo woke up slowly, feeling his body return to consciousness. It was something he had never done when he was in the Matrix, but on second thought, it didn't matter anyway. He arched his back, curling and uncurling his fingers and toes which tingled as blood flowed through them. Finally, he opened his eyes, to see her lying there, still asleep and dreaming. He watched her, as her brow furled and her arms twitched, as if to reach out to someone. Her expression changed, revealing disappointment. or was it rejection? He leaned down, placing his hand on her head, and kissed her. She roused from her sleep, her hand reaching out to take his before her eyes opened. Neo was always surprised how warm her hands were, how real they felt. The novelty of the experience had never diminished for him, and he hoped the same was for her.  
  
"What time is it?" She asked, still not opening her eyes.  
  
"Time we should get going." Neo said regretfully.  
  
"Damn." She muttered, opening her eyes and sitting up to find Neo still laying with her hand in his, not moving. She prodded him in the shoulder.  
  
"Get up."  
  
Neo threw her one smirk, and got out of bed, but found that now he was pulling her.  
  
"I didn't mean all the way." She quipped.  
  
Neo gazed at her face, admiring how soft it was, how the day had not yet had a chance to place any lines upon it. Lines of worry, grief, stress. He tugged her arm.  
  
"Get up." He smiled. "Get up, because today's going to be a good day."  
  
She eyed him skeptically. "Why?"  
  
Neo placed his hand over his mouth dramatically, like a school girl who had revealed too much of a rumor to a friend.  
  
"None of your business." He shot at her.  
  
Without giving her time to reply, Neo walked out the door, leaving Trinity alone. She never liked surprises - they always had the way of going wrong. Standing up, she ran her fingers through her hair, let it fall. Pulling on her boots, she left her quarters. She rounded the hall, and turned sharply.  
  
She knew she had heard it. A squeak. He had always tried to be as quiet as possible, but Trinity had always known when Mouse had stuck his head out to look at her, then hide himself way. She wondered if he knew that squeak always gave him away. She smiled fondly, but it was bittersweet. She walked to Mouse's door, which was left slightly ajar, and entered.  
  
There was nothing. The walls, once covered with drawings in charcoal of women and schematics of different ships, were barren. The bed sat unadorned, unused for many months. Trinity stood a moment longer, lost in thought, but was roused by the sound of footsteps. She stepped out, to see Link walking down the hall. Trinity didn't know much about him but what she did know was that he could be trusted. He had promised Dozer that were he or his brother Tank, to die, that Link would come to the Neb, to serve in their place. Seeing him was another bittersweet reminder of another comrade lost.  
  
"Hey, Trinity, what's up?"  
  
"Nothing. You?"  
  
Link smiled, his grin large. "Nada. Morpheus relieved me a minute ago, and I'm grabbing some grub. Wanna come with?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
The pair walked to the mess hall, silently. Link watched Trinity's feet as they walked. The woman can't take a soft step, he mussed, watching her feet connect solidly and with determination, planning. Link couldn't imagine walking like that. Watching the way she held herself he was made uncomfortable. Was she always this aggressive, or did the Matrix make her like this? He wondered what she was like with Neo. He knew he couldn't live with a woman so military in action and thinking.  
  
Trinity strode into the mess hall, picked up her bowl and an extra for Link. She filled them, handed one off to him, and sat down. She observed the goop moving in reaction to her spoon. She remembered the Oracle. Are we all moving in a pre-determined pattern from some external force? What choices do I really make?  
  
Link interrupted her thoughts. "So, what are you doing today?"  
  
"Running diagnostics, checking the drop boxes." She took a bite of her food.  
  
Link looked confused. "Morpheus already had me do that this morning though. Are we expecting some heavy drop traffic today?"  
  
Trinity's spoon paused over her bowl. "You checked the phone drops?"  
  
"Yeah, I did." Link replied. "And I ran all the diagnostics for the day earlier. Everything's fine."  
  
Something's going to happen today, Trinity thought, irritably. She frowned unconsciously. Neo was acting strange. She'd never seen him happy. Well, yes she had, but this was different. It was an innocent, childish kind of happy. Something that made Trinity uncomfortable, to say the least.  
  
Link sat back, having finished his breakfast, and watched Trinity, who was looking at her half-eaten bowl and frowning. It's not like he knew what was going on. All he knew was that Morpheus had gotten him up early (too damn early if you asked Link) to do the diagnostics, to make sure that the ship was ready to leave. Link mentally shrugged. A realization hit him. He stood up, threw his dish in the mess, and left the hall without a word to Trinity.  
  
"He's in on whatever it is too, damn it." She muttered. She stood and spun on her heels to place her dish in the auto cleaner.  
  
Link hurried through the corridors, to his console. He began typing furiously. Accessing the operator communication protocols, he sent a message to the Logos.  
  
Find any Rabbits to cook yet? He typed. Link paused, waiting. The response came.  
  
Even if I did, you won't eat my cooking anyway. :p  
  
That's because your cooking sucks. Link retorted.  
  
So what do you want? I only got a few minutes to type, Niobe's been on my ass to finish my diagnostics and shit.  
  
Link's fingers paused on the keyboard. Maybe Sparks didn't know anything.  
  
So have I, but I finished. Trin's all pissed about something, and Neo's been walking around like he got laid. Link struck the enter key, looking over his shoulder. He waited for Spark's response.  
  
Is there another woman? :) No, jk. I know what you feel - Niobe's been running around like something special is going on today. Ghost is. well, Ghost. He seems more pensive than normal today though. Really? Link typed, then stopped, thinking. What is today, anyway? Is it a holiday or anniversary or something?  
  
I don't know. oh shit, she's comin'.  
  
*CONNECTION CLOSED BY REMOTE HOST*  
  
Link sat back. Was this some joke between Niobe and Morpheus? They seemed to be the only two who knew what was going on. That and Neo. Sparks looked over his shoulder again. No one was on deck except him. Leaning back in his chair, he pondered what was going to happen. Realizing that he still had work to do on the main AC and hard drives, Link left the main deck.  
  
Neo watched Link pass him without seeing, and came out of the darkness behind the secondary power couplings. Quietly, he walked up to the terminal. Neo yawned and cracked his knuckles. He sat down to cracking into the Operator Communication Protocols. Finally the system bent and he was in. He proceeded to read the most recent archives. He was glad. Niobe hadn't tipped off Sparks, and Link didn't seem to know anything either. He closed his eyes and smiled. Lately, Trinity had become more and more stressed. She had trouble sleeping and was distant with him. The Neb hadn't been back to Zion in over two months, and Neo and Morpheus both knew what the problem was. While she may love Neo, there was another she loved. Neo knew, and wished often that he had someone he could call sister the way Trinity called Ghost brother. 


	3. Anniversary Forgotten

Chapter Three - Anniversary Forgotten  
  
The Nebuchadnezzar glided silently over the broken bones of humanity, the dead air rushing by as the craft was guided to its rendezvous with the Logos. On board, the crew worked silently, efficiently to ensure the ships survival, for the long dead cites could now be dangerous to their old masters. Morpheus stood on deck, observing his crew. Trinity was flying the Neb, with Neo over her shoulder, learning the finer points of hovercraft flight. Link was watching the radar consoles, carefully surveying around the ship for any hint of sentinel activity. Trinity began to slow the ship down, showing Neo the correct method for using the ships air brakes.  
  
Morpheus stood up, and watched the pair. "So," he began casually, "would you like to try to land it Neo?"  
  
Neo looked up, surprised. "Ah." He looked to Trinity, who gave him single calm nod. "Sure, why not?"  
  
Trinity stood, giving the seat to Neo. He sat down slowly, letting himself adjust to the feeling of the seat, the locations of the controls. It would be his second time landing the Neb. Trinity stood, arms crossed, by Morpheus who calmly watched Neo. Trinity silently hoped that Neo would do a better job than last time, which had required over a weeks worth of repairs to the port side power couplings.  
  
Neo sat, breathed in and out to relax himself, closed his eyes and touched the controls. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and began to glide the Neb down through pipes and steel girders. Neo carefully twisted the Neb, working it down further until.  
  
*WHUNK!*  
  
The ship shook, but in Trinity's opinion it wasn't half as bad as last time. At least, she mused, he had the landing gear down. The Neb settled down on its landing gear as Neo reduced power to its induction coils. Morpheus smiled at Trinity, as if to congratulate her on his improvement. Trinity smiled back, faintly. Her thoughts were, to say the least, elsewhere. Morpheus watched Trinity critically. He knew that she suspected something. Thankfully, she didn't know that the Neb was scheduled to meet with the Logos here in just a short amount of time. He waited, thinking. Trinity had walked back to Neo, and he had taken one of her hands, held it to his chest as he looked up at her. Morpheus watched out of the corner of his eye. He had spoken with Neo at length about the nature of Trinity and Ghost's relationship, and he had seemed completely at peace with the idea. Morpheus was glad. He had feared that Neo might have become jealous or worse yet, territorial. Still he worried. Many people didn't know their true reactions to a situation until it occurred - he would have to watch Neo carefully. The last thing Morpheus wanted to see happen or needed was for a fight to break out between crew members on two ships over a woman. He smiled bitterly. That had already happened to him.  
  
"Neo, please tell me the truth." Trinity whispered in his ear, just as she had done when they had first met.  
  
Neo looked into her eyes, sighed and stood up. "I'm sorry Trinity but I promised I wouldn't say anything."  
  
Trinity pulled her hand away, slowly and firmly. "Neo." She said as she turned toward the lower decks, "Pray for your sake this is something good."  
  
He moved behind her, placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. She turned her head to reveal his face, smiling that childish grin, the same grin she'd seen before in code when he'd challenged Morpheus to a Kung Fu battle.  
  
"I promise." He said simply.  
  
Trinity looked at him critically, turned her head away and continued to walk away. Neo sighed inwardly, and walked back to the main deck. The only person there was Morpheus. Neo walked up quietly to his captain.  
  
"Where is Link?" He asked, noticing that the operator had left in the middle of his coding.  
  
Morpheus smiled slightly. "I had asked him to patch the main AC through to the hard drives and he forgot."  
  
Neo felt his hands get sweaty from holding them behind his back, as he would in the Matrix. He silently chided himself, and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"What's the ETA on the Logos?" Neo asked.  
  
"Now." Neo looked at Morpheus curiously, but then felt the Neb shake as the Logos came along side, it's smaller conduction coils still rocking the ship as it landed. Morpheus straightened himself, and gazed ahead.  
  
"I am," He spoke slowly, "going to go greet the captain of the Logos and its crew. Would you care to accompany me?"  
  
Neo hesitated. "Shouldn't Link and Trinity."  
  
"Come with us?" Morpheus finished for him. "No, actually, I have one last surprise for her."  
  
Neo looked down, chuckled, and looked back up. "Tell me what to do and I'll do it."  
  
Morpheus looked over his shoulder, then turned back to Neo. "Tell Trinity we have to do a drop. Go with her. You won't really be in, but in a construct of Niobe's making. Once Ghost is in, we're going to cut you out and," Morpheus half-smiled, "Let those two go at it. You've never seen a real fight till you've seen siblings."  
  
Neo nodded. "Got it. Should I go now?"  
  
Morpheus nodded.  
  
Neo left to the crew quarters, to find Trinity arched over, her head pulled gracefully over to her foot. Neo always felt bad interrupting her yoga sessions, but somehow didn't feel the same this time. Trinity didn't even look up as he strode into the room like a boar, his boots loud on the steel floor.  
  
"Trinity, we have to." He began.  
  
"Go in for a drop." She finished, slowly releasing her foot. She turned, and seemed to almost look through him. She rolled up the mat she had on the floor, and placed it under their bed quickly, while pulling out her boots.  
  
She stood up. "Let's go." She quickly strode by him, and he followed. They reached the main deck, and she proceeded to check her equipment before sitting down. Neo walked to stand over her, his hand on the side of her face. She looked at him once more, her eyes questioning, but before she could ask Neo slid the jack in. He always felt as though in some way he violated her by placing that cold, disgusting metal jack in her neck. He watched as her eyes flew open, then slowly shut.  
  
The real world flashed before her eyes as Trinity found herself in the Construct. She looked at her reflection in the glossy metal of the gun racks and began to pick up her weapons, carefully choosing and holstering her choices. She heard the familiar sound of a semi-automatic being loaded with a fresh clip and looked to see Neo checking his favorite firearm. Even through his glasses she could see the way he looked at it. It was no longer a gun to him. It was a program. She could see his eyes moving to follow the code as it flowed over the object. Trinity was struck ever so slightly with a pang of jealousy. For him, anything really was possible. The two continued to load their weapons and don body armor silently, although Trinity noticed the ever so slight smile on his face and she found it incredibly irritating that he knew something she did not.  
  
Morpheus walked along the halls of the Logos, remembering the time he had spent on this ship. It was still so familiar to him, although he knew not how long it had been since he had last been aboard it. He let his fingers drag against the walls, feeling the cool steel and slick rubber of cables criss-crossing its interior. His pace steady, he soon reached the main deck of the ship. He entered quietly, as to not disturb the people inside.  
  
Niobe stood with Sparks and Morpheus could tell that he had finally been let in on their little secret. One chair sat empty while on the other lay Ghost, his eyes moving slowly under their lids. Morpheus watched his hands twitch, and knew from their motions that Ghost was participating in one of his most well known rituals, checking his guns. Even Niobe chided him for such behavior, but it had never done any good.  
  
Niobe rose to greet Morpheus. "Captain Morpheus."  
  
"Captain Niobe." He responded, smiling ever so slightly.  
  
"Hey!" Sparks yelled, his head popping up impishly over his set of monitors.  
  
Morpheus nodded to Sparks, who wasn't looking at him anymore but following his console screens.  
  
Niobe sighed mentally.  
  
Interrupting her thoughts, Morpheus spoke. "Are we ready?"  
  
Niobe looked to Sparks, who nodded. "Yes, we're ready."  
  
Neo held to Trinity as she darted through traffic on her motorcycle. The world flew by so quickly that he could barely read the code as it flowed past. She narrowly avoided a big rig as she weaved through the lanes. Gradually the landscape changed from the drab, dirty city to the bright and fake colors of suburbia. Rows of perfect trees in which perfect children played went by, and all of whom stared at the woman and man in black leather on a motorcycle going over a 100 mph.  
  
Trinity felt the bike move under her, and watched critically ahead. Neo had told her, turn right at the White Rabbit, keep going till you reach a park with red and blue swing sets. She finally saw it - an old dinner sat on the corner of the next intersection, a large rabbit painted on the brick wall. In bright lettering it read, "The Rabbit Hole". She smiled, and turned the bike sharply, feeling his hand tighten around her. It was only a few blocks before she saw the park. She parked and kicked her stand out. Standing up, she observed her surroundings critically.  
  
Neo watched Trinity, and finally spoke. "There's the drop."  
  
She nodded sharply. "Cover my back."  
  
Trinity moved toward a row of lockers, her eyes alert. Neo walked carefully, pretending to scan the code. In reality, he was doing something far more devious.  
  
"There," Sparks said, pointing to a line of code. "That's from him."  
  
Morpheus and Niobe examined the column that Sparks pointed to. In it was the code for a tree, but in it was a message.  
  
"Almost ready to go." It read.  
  
Niobe looked over to Ghost's still form. "What about him?"  
  
Sparks checked another monitor. "Yeah, he's ready to move whenever. He's waiting at the same position."  
  
Neo walked behind Trinity, as she waited. "When are we supposed to check the locker?"  
  
"5 minutes."  
  
Trinity went back to watching the locker and her surroundings. She heard Neo move, and felt the warmth of his back against hers. She let herself relax ever so slightly, leaning onto him.  
  
Sparks watched his console carefully, observing the code for an elm tree by Neo. He double checked his patch through to the Neb's computer systems - he had to be able to bring Neo out remotely. It was then that Sparks saw it.  
  
"Go" The code said simply. That was all the impetus that Sparks needed. His fingers flew over his keyboard. He removed Neo, moving him to a construct located on the Neb while switching Ghost in his place.  
  
In the Matrix, Ghost felt something warm on his back, leaning against him. He didn't panic. Rather he focused, grabbed his guns and spun, his white suit moving slightly in the wind. Trinity felt Neo pull away from her back. She turned to see why and was confronted with double handguns. Trinity focused, and kicked the guns away. She landed but kept with the momentum of her spin kick, and tripped her opponent, causing them to hit hard. She took out her handgun, jumping and landed on his chest. She was met with a shotgun resting in her gut. The two paused.  
  
Ghost, breathing hard, looked up at Trinity, her handgun aimed at his head. He watched recognition spread across her face as she felt the double barrel of the shotgun in her ribs. She smiled and holstered her weapon, still on his chest. Ghost pulled the shotgun away, let it fall to the ground.  
  
"Happy Anniversary." He said.  
  
Trinity had forgotten that today was their anniversary, the 17th year for both of them being free. She looked down at Ghost, who was smiling. Had it really been that long? He reached up, and gently removed her sunglasses. It had been too long sense he'd seen her face, and he wanted to see if she was different now that she had found love. He was greeted with the same eyes, inquisitive and bold. The same Trinity. His Trinity.  
  
Trinity watched Ghost, and brushed his glasses over his forehead. She was greeted with the same man she always knew. Intelligent and logical, but his eyes also betrayed something else. Trinity couldn't put her finger on it, but it was so familiar, the warmth she felt from him. The pair continued to stare at one another, each thinking different thoughts, one sorrowful for love lost and the other grateful for love found.  
  
Neo watched the code, and both Morpheus and Niobe could see the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. 


	4. Tsuiseki

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
  
I will be now updating this story every week on Fridays. I really love fanmail - comments, suggestions, and flames are all welcome - if you'd like to see this take a certain direction, please let me know! I am always open to new ideas.  
  
Please keep reading and enjoy the new chapter,  
  
Elizabeth Gibson Elg33@dana.ucc.nau.edu  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Sparks sat in the uncomfortable silence on the Logos, and while he understood that Trinity and Neo were, well, for lack of a better word, together, he still couldn't understand for the life of him why Neo looked now so brooding. Maybe, thought Sparks, he's a little jealous. Trinity and Ghost's relationship would always be different than his with her. Sparks sighed mentally. He hated the polatics of love - it was never the game for him, and so he didn't blame himself that he didn't exactly understand what was going on, even though the code told him everything he needed to know.  
  
On the other side of the monitors, Neo stood with Morpheus and Niobe behind him. His eyes narrowed at each passing line of code, each line seeming to slightly irritate him. Part of him chided himself for acting so childish, and he realized that Ghost was quite possibly the one person Trinity could be most honest with. At the same time, it angered him, that whatever she told Ghost she wouldn't tell him. Why is it, he thought, is it because she loves me, or is it because I'm the. Neo quickly stopped that train of thought, not wanting to understand the implications.  
  
Trinity and Ghost sat at the benches at the park, not saying anything of importance. Trinity watched Ghost, saw the way he kept his eyes down, how they flicked up to look at her, only to be rebuked by some outside force and move down again. In some other life, she would have been told that his behavior was shy and cute, but she now knew the truth of such actions - something was hurting him. Trinity, as always, kept a steady gaze. Ghost looked up again, pretending to look at the cottonwood trees swaying gently in the summer breezes, but really to see her face again. Here was the Trinity he remembered - strong but not hard, still feminine. Her eyes seemed softer, and she seemed more relaxed than he had seen her. Like everyone in Zion, he had seen the tapes, of their assault on the Government Building, of her quick rescue of Neo from the Agent. It was her words though, that struck him.  
  
"Dodge this."  
  
They were now famous words throughout Zion, viewed as the perfect expression of the cold, calculating, violent methods that must be employed to destroy the Matrix. While Ghost appreciated their sentiment, he knew how wrong they were. He knew what had brought Neo back to life, and it wasn't the same woman who had said those words. Despite all his philosophy and history, Ghost was still left with the same impression - that the only things that mattered in this life are the people you love.  
  
And so, Trinity mattered to him, and in a roundabout way, so did Neo. Ghost wanted to believe that he was beyond feeling jealousy toward Neo, that he could use his mind to overcome his emotions. He knew, were she to lose him, that the pain she felt would be unbearable. Ghost couldn't say that he'd feel the same way - perhaps angry that The One had died and that another fighter had been lost to the cause, but aside from that. Ghost shook his head once. Enough with the morbid crap.  
  
Trinity grew concerned, seeing Ghost's face darken.  
  
"What are you thinking about?"  
  
Ghost looked at her, his eyes brighter. "I was," he thought fast, "wondering about what the score is, between me and you."  
  
Trinity half-smiled as he eyes narrowed. Ghost knew that look. "How about, we wipe the slate clean. Start from scratch."  
  
"Fine with me." Ghost replied neutrally.  
  
Trinity stood, cracked her neck. "Let's shake on it, then."  
  
Ghost extended his hand, and she gave him hers. There was a pause. Both looked the other in the eyes, trying to determine what strategy the other planned on using. It was Ghost who took the initiative, and took Trinity's hand with both of his, spinning to lock her arm behind her back. He smiled.  
  
Watching the code, the crews of both the Neb and the Logos laughed.  
  
Trinity's kick caught Ghost straight in the face. He let go of her arms and stumbled back, regaining his composure only to feel the force of a sweep kick on the back of his knees. Ghost fell, but not before grabbing Trinity by her leathers and pulling her down too. The two wrestled in the dirt, leaving indents in the ground where their punches landed. Ghost finally managed in getting a hold on her arms. He pinned her, sweat dripping off his forehead, landing on her leathers.  
  
"Guess you win." She said.  
  
"Guess so."  
  
Trinity's legs swung up, and her feet locked around his neck.  
  
"Guess again."  
  
Using the hold she had on his neck, Trinity threw Ghost, who landed in the grass a few yards off on his stomach. Ghost pushed himself up from the ground, feeling the thrill of the game. He saw Trinity running towards her bike, next to which was parked a Shelby Cobra, white with a British racing green leather top.  
  
"Thank you Sparks!" Ghost yelled, bolting for the car.  
  
On the Logos, Sparks grinned.  
  
Trinity was still running, and Ghost got an idea that while wasn't totally original, certainly was good improvising on his part, at least in his own opinion. Still running, he reached out and picked up a rock, about half the size of a baseball, carefully aimed and threw.  
Trinity ran hard, seeing the bike within her reach. She was almost there when the rock hit her in the back of the knees, sending her sidelong into the bike. Trinity tried to reach over, to flip herself over the bike, but it gave under her and she feel into the dirt. She heard the car doors of the Cobra shut, heard the wheels squealing. The car moved back, and Ghost lowered his window so that she could see him.  
  
"Come on Trinity," He laughed, "Catch me."  
  
"I can't watch," Sparks said, his eyes firmly glued to his monitor.  
  
Niobe laughed. "Stolen her moves and now her words?"  
  
Morpheus smiled. "Isn't that was siblings do?" He said, looking sidelong at Niobe, who's eyes met his for a second.  
  
Neo watched the fight in silence. Come on, he thought, come on.  
  
Niobe looked on, intently watching Ghost. He smoothly transitioned from gears, his Cobra roaring down the street at over a hundred miles an hour. Still, he was calm, collected, and focused. Niobe felt satisfied - she'd taught him well. Next to her, Morpheus watched, for the moment entertained. Still he kept his eye on Neo. He saw the way his fists clenched when Ghost's rock had hit her, and it worried him, if he was conscious of his reactions.  
  
The Cobra speed off, coating Trinity's leathers with a thin layer of dust. She pulled up her motorcycle, leapt on and took off, the wheels digging to find traction, leaving ruts in the dirt parking lot. The force of the wind soon had blown off most of the dust as Trinity flew down the quiet suburban streets, following the roaring of Ghost's engines. The speedometer slowly crept, 130, 140, 150. Trinity bent over her bike, pressing close to it. Her eyes scanned ahead, finally catching sight on the Cobra.  
  
Ghost heard the roar of the motorcycles engines and looked into his rearview mirror to see Trinity gaining on him. The freeway entrance was coming up over the next overpass, and Ghost prepared himself to powerslide onto the north bound I-15, but as he did that, he rolled down his window and let his hand feel the wind, ride on it. Trinity watched as Ghost's hand played in the wind, and she smiled. Still a child at heart. That smile quickly faded though, as Ghost have her the finger and sped off onto the freeway, leaving tire tracks that smoked. Trinity followed, her bike flying down the onramp.  
  
Ghost carefully worked between the trucks, letting his intuition guide him as Niobe had told him to do. Trinity followed, and had the advantage in terms of mobility, Ghost knew. His hands ran over the steering wheel, and smiled. She knew like he did, that this time they were on his turf. The freeway ran uphill, carving through a natural pass in the mountains, and Ghost watched his engine begin to redline from the stress. He looked behind him, watched her gracefully weave through the heavy traffic. His eyes momentarily caught hers, but both were once again preoccupied with the slow moving cars in front of them. Looking ahead, Ghost saw opportunity in the shape of an empty double decker car transport. Ghost gunned the engines and slid over. He paused, and focused, feeling the world around him slow down. He looked again, and slammed the accelerator.  
  
Trinity watched, amused, as Ghost ran up the transport, launching the Cobra over traffic. She thought, but only briefly, before following. She saw her chance to get Ghost, and took it. Accelerating hard, watching her bike's engine go far beyond redline, Trinity flew off the truck as Ghost had. The world slowed down as Trinity focused all her attention on her goal. She had one chance.  
  
Ghost looked back, surprised to not see Trinity. While the impact of landing had jarred him, he was sure she had been behind him a minute ago. It was then he heard it, the throaty sound of her motorcycle's engine right above him. He watched as the bike flew in front of him, riderless.  
  
*Rip.*  
  
Ghost looked up to the source of the sound to see two combat-booted feet tearing through the thin leather of his roof. The rest of Trinity followed, the car creaking under her impact. She was looking down, but turned her head sideways to look at Ghost. She loved the say he looked at her - so surprised, still, at what she could do.  
  
Finally, he broke the silence. "Nice one."  
  
"Thanks," she replied, straightening her leathers, "but it's not over yet."  
  
In one fluid movement, Trinity pulled out her cell phone and grabbed the wheel, jerking it from Ghost's hands. The car lurched over, out of control towards the edge of the freeway. Ghost looked, not afraid, but still enjoying the adrenaline as the car broke through the guardrails, flying through air over the Cajon Pass. The ground seemed miles away.  
  
"Operator." Trinity said calmly, the car falling, the nose beginning to pitch.  
  
"Lemme guess, freeze it?" Sparks answered.  
  
"Please."  
  
The car paused, as did the rest of the simulation. The sun had just begun to break over the mountains, and the clouds that were receding from the canyon had become tinted with the fresh morning light. Ghost let his body relax, sitting back. Trinity stretched, a light dust falling off of her clothes, and took off her glasses, letting the full light from the sun hit her eyes. Ghost watched her, but looked away when he caught himself. He knew the oracle's words, and there was no fighting the truth in them.  
  
"Did they not tell you either?" He asked.  
  
"I knew something was going to happen." Trinity said, looking down and smiling.  
  
Ghost didn't know how to begin. "I'm sorry I haven't sent you a messa."  
  
"No, it's OK." She said simply. "Everyone's been busy."  
  
Ghost knew that all too well. He wanted to ask her about what had happened, but found that for once, he was at a lack of words.  
  
She saw his discomfort. "What is it?"  
  
Ghost looked her in the eyes. "You know it's only going to get harder." He paused. "Now that you've found him."  
  
"Now that he's found himself." She mused aloud.  
  
Ghost's eyes narrowed, his curiosity piqued. Trinity looked up from her thoughts.  
  
"I believed before that we can win. I am," Ghost said softly, "still resolute in my faith."  
  
Trinity smiled softly. "So am I."  
  
From the Neb, Link watched. He had never seen her so peaceful. In the chairs, she was smiling ever so faintly. Her bio-monitors were steady and rhythmic. He felt suddenly far more comfortable around her, knowing that she could, in fact, relax. Link turned to the sound of footsteps from belowdecks moving towards him. Instinctively, one hand reached over to his plasma cannon, but pulled when he heard the voices of his captain and Neo. Link looked up as Morpheus walked on deck.  
  
"Sir," he began.  
  
"Link, please open a channel to the Osiris."  
  
"Yes sir,"  
  
Link quickly established a com link, requesting a video feed from the ship's operator.  
  
"Captain Morpheus," Thaddeus began, a warm smile on his face.  
  
"It is good to see you, my friend." Morpheus said.  
  
The video flickered, but returned to normal. "To what do I owe the honor?"  
  
"You are attempting to free the mind of a one Hajime Chikako, correct?"  
  
"Yes," Thaddeus said. "That's true. We know her as Tayoranai." How did he know about this?  
  
"One of my crew members has a unique perspective on this case, and has asked to be included when you go to free her."  
  
Thaddeus looked curiously at Morpheus. "What stake does he have in this?"  
  
"I don't fully understand myself," Morpheus said, "But I believe that it is important."  
  
Thaddeus thought for a minute. Why has The One become interested in this girl?  
  
"We'll be meeting at the usual place. If you want to come, be there." Thaddeus paused. "Are there any other visitors I should know about?"  
  
"The Logos may be joining us," Morpheus said neutrally.  
  
"My pilot is sending you our current broadcast location. Meet us as soon as possible. Thaddeus out."  
  
The com died. Morpheus stood, and watched the code.  
  
"Bring her out."  
  
Trinity sat, watching the sun paused over the mountains. She watched as the image began to distort. She was being pulled out.  
  
"Goddamnit," she muttered as Ghost turned to see her body wrapped in code, then disappear. Trinity opened her eyes onboard the Neb, sitting up slowly. Morpheus was speaking to Link, and Neo was sitting on the next chair over, watching her. She got up, to walk to their quarters, but as she brushed by him, she spoke softly.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Neo watched her walk away. He smiled, involuntarily, that he had helped make her happy, but at the same time he looked down, disappointed. 


	5. A Girl Named Tayoranai

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
  
Any speech marked in "[]" indicated another language is being used.  
  
Chapter Five - A Girl Named Independence  
  
Neo stood in the construct, feeling the flow of the code around him. It was like cool water running along his mind, so easily manipulated. He let himself play, creating gentle ripples in the code, watching it weave around the disturbance.  
  
"Knock it off." Trinity said, irritated.  
  
Neo opened his eyes to see what he had done. He and trinity were standing on a lake, no, an ocean. Crystal clear, fishes swam below them, and the waves licked their boots. The weapon racks of the construct sat on the water as they did, supported by some unseen force. Neo smiled, and closed his eyes once again. Trinity nearly lost her balance as the water rushed away from under her feet. All gravity lost, Trinity floated, having nothing to grasp to. Everything was white, with no walls, no boundaries. Trinity looked up to see Neo slowly spinning, his coat spread behind him, almost looking like wings. His eyes were still closed, but on his face was a slight smile. Trinity began to tumble, moving closer to him until.  
  
Neo was jarred out of his reflections by her voice, her breath on his ear. Although he could see the code that made her face, her voice, those things still made him happy.  
  
"We're going to be late."  
  
Neo placed his arm around her waist. "Let's go then." Neo focused.  
  
Link watched the code, and laughed as on his screen appeared the shape of a rabbit, the background turning green and the code white upon it.  
  
Trinity's cell phone rang. She answered.  
  
"Ready to go?" Link asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
The world flew by the pair, buildings, cars and people as the world rematerialized before them. People stopped and starred at the pair of strange foreigners step out from a corner, and walk down the Ginza strip.  
  
"Neo, I can't."  
  
"Understand them? Neither can I." He smiled. "Call Link."  
  
Trinity picked up her cell again. "Link, we need a language download."  
  
"Let me guess," he said, digging around through piles of disks. "Japanese?"  
  
Link looked up to see Neo's code reading, "It would help."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." He muttered.  
  
"What?" Trinity asked  
  
"Nothing. Tell him to quit playing with the damn code."  
  
Trinity looked up to see Neo grinning.  
  
"It's not that funny." She said to him.  
  
Saying nothing, he just kept smiling, as if to say, "Yes it is."  
  
"Ok," Link said, holding a disk marked East Asian Languages. "Here we go."  
  
Both Trinity and Neo's eyes shut. Their lips moved, speaking words that suddenly had meaning. Their eyes opened in synch. Trinity listened to the speech of the passer-bys.  
  
"[Look at her, is that what Americans wear? How ugly!]" A woman laughed.  
  
"[Damn, looks like she's got a boyfriend.]" Another man said, walking with his friends, all of whom stared at the pair.  
  
"Well," Neo said. "Now that we've got that out of the way."  
  
"Ikimasho." Trinity said simply, experiencing the feeling of the foreign words rolling off her tongue.  
  
The pair walked on, leaving in their wake crowds of confused and wondering Japanese. On the other side of the Ginza strip, Thaddeus walked along side Niobe. His black suit and crisp silk blue tie matched his glasses, a deep ocean blue. A pack of girls walked by, speaking rapidly in Japanese. Niobe heard them. It was about her hair, and she half-smiled. Behind them walked Jue and Ghost. Jue was smiling, if ever so slightly bitterly, at the surroundings. Ghost knew, this was where she grew up. He looked at her face, still marked with a bit of longing at the packs of fashionable girls who walked down the strip in their uniforms, chatting on cell phones and PDAs. It was a group she never fit into, no matter how hard she had tried. Ghost couldn't help but be proud of the woman she was today, standing tall, walking with confidence. After only 5 years out, she had risen to a place of importance on a highly distinguished ship, the Osiris.  
  
"There they are," Neo said, pointing up ahead.  
  
"I can't see them" Trinity said.  
  
"You will."  
  
Through the crowd, she caught a glimmer of white. For a split second, she thought of Switch, remembering the first day she'd seen her in the Matrix, so shocked by the color of her clothing, so white it seemed to blind Trinity. She had asked her about her clothes, which had spawned a two hour discussion over metaphorical use of color between the two. Next to Ghost, she had been Trinity's best friend and confidant. She broke from her thoughts, seeing the group move closer, Thaddeus and Niobe in the lead, Jue and Ghost behind them, his suit glimmering in the oppressively hot Tokyo summer sun.  
  
"Are we ready to go?" Niobe asked.  
  
Neo nodded.  
  
"Lead the way." Thaddeus said.  
  
Tayoranai sat at her computer, watching a movie. She'd seen it more times than she could count, and recited the words along with the actors. She was halfway falling asleep when she heard something odd.  
  
"[It's a pleasure to meet you, Independence.]"  
  
Tayoranai looked at her computer screen. The movie had paused, and a man, dressed in a simple black suit stared back at her from the video.  
  
"[They're coming for you. The Terrorists know who you are.]"  
  
"[What?]" She said, confused. What was going on?  
  
"[You know who they are.]" The man said, his Japanese slurred ever so slightly as he extended each syllable longer than he should have. She watched her screen to see a new video play. It was one she was very familiar with.  
  
The terrorist attack on America - it had been in the news in Japan as well. She saw pictures of the lobby of the building they had hit, bodies burned beyond recognition, all with multiple bullet wounds. The images changed, to the giant hole left in the side of an adjacent building by a helicopter that one of the Terrorists had stolen and crashed.  
  
"[Why me?]" She asked. "[I'm no one.]"  
  
"[Do you remember the train?]" The man asked.  
  
How could he know about that, she thought. She remembered, her cat had leapt out of her arms and in front of a bullet train. She had screamed, and the train stopped. She was able to get her cat, and as she walked away, the train began to move again, as if it had never stopped.  
  
"[The train stopped for me.]"  
  
"[No,]" said the man, "[You stopped the train.]"  
  
She shook her head, and sat down on her bed, only to feel something touch her shoulder. She tried to scream but found herself unable to make any noise - her mouth opened but nothing came out. The man was behind her, and had turned to look her in the face, his black glasses so flawless she could clearly see her reflection in them and nothing else.  
  
"[You must help me Independence, because their next target.]" He pointed at her monitor, "[is that.]"  
  
It was her parents building, the office skyscraper that both her father and mother worked in. The girl's face became clouded with anger and fear.  
  
Just what Smith wanted.  
  
Neo stopped.  
  
"What is it?" Trinity asked.  
  
"Something's wrong. Hurry!" Neo said, breaking into a run.  
  
Thaddeus and Niobe looked at each other, and began to run after him as did the rest. Neo began to run faster, until he realized he was flying, straining just to go a little faster. Something was horribly wrong. He looked behind him to see that he'd lost the rest of the group. That didn't bother him - they knew where he was going and could catch up.  
  
Ghost and Trinity ran side by side with Jue, Niobe and Thaddeus in front of them. Neither looked at the other, but focused on their goal, an apartment complex that could be seen over the lower lying buildings.  
  
"Shit." Ghost said, looking behind them.  
  
An agent was behind the group, quickly gaining ground. Agent Jackson pulled out his gun, aimed and fired. Niobe focused, narrowly avoiding the bullet.  
  
"I'll hold him!" Trinity yelled, stopping and turning to face the agent. "Go!"  
  
Ghost stopped also, but was met with an angry glare from Trinity.  
  
"I said go! Get Neo!"  
  
Ghost looked at her, but she had already turned to face the agent, less than a few yards away. He turned and ran, hating himself for it.  
  
Agent Jackson ran towards the woman who stupidly stood in his way. He raised his firearm to remove her, but found with aggravation that she dodged all of his bullets. Trinity leapt into the air, feeling the world slow and she took careful aim, and kicked the agent in the face, sending him sprawling. She landed on the ground, and watched the Agent. He didn't get up. What the hell, she thought, get up.  
  
Trinity turned to start running again, and stopped. Another agent stood in front of her. The last thing she saw was the agent's fist coming towards her face.  
  
Ghost looked back to see an agent hoisting Trinity's limp body over his shoulder. He wanted to stop, to do something, but found himself in conflict. He knew that he couldn't save her, that he needed Neo. Furrious, he ran harder to where Neo was.  
  
Link flinched as he saw the agent's fist hit Trinity in the jaw. He turned to see blood dripping from the side of her mouth.  
  
"Fuck." He said, turning to tend her wounds.  
  
Morpheus beat him to it. "Trace where they are taking her. Don't lose her." He said, as he took a cloth, wiping the blood from her face.  
  
Link turned back to the console, only to be faced with an even more grave situation.  
  
Neo stood in front of Tayoranai.  
  
"[Hello, Independence. Do you know who I am?]"  
  
She looked at him, a scowl crossing her face. "[You are nothing but a Terrorist.]" she spat. "[I won't let you pass.]"  
  
Neo smiled. "[Really?]"  
  
Tayoranai hated that smile. She was sure he'd done the same thing after the attacks in the US, after killing hundreds of innocent people. Disgusting.  
  
Neo stopped smiling. He saw the code change around him, become heavily encrypted, so much so that he could no longer manipulate the Matrix. He watched the girl, watched her code begin to glow red. Neo found himself unable to move, felt the world begin to stop. "[Die!]" She screamed, pouring all of her fear out in her words. It worked, just like it had before. The man had stopped, was frozen, his face a mix of disbelief and surprise. Smith walked behind Tayoranai, touched her shoulder in a fatherly way.  
  
"[You've done very well, Independence.]"  
  
"[Thank you.]" She said. 


End file.
